June Month 2022 PRELIMS

•
Kodava: 14
inside •
•
Udhampur, J&K gets earthquake observatory 14
Millets 14
• Missing easterly winds leave Northwest rain deficit,
northeast deluged: IMD 15
GS PAPER - 1 •
•
Sunspot
Udaipur’s ‘bird village’ is set to be declared a
15
wetland 16
• Ancient rock paintings identified in Bargur 5 • Uranium deposit in Rajasthan 16
• Job Charnock: 5 • Missing easterly winds leave Northwest rain deficit,
• Sambandar: 5 northeast deluged: IMD 16
• Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) 6
•
•
Anang Tal, Mehrauli
Saavira Kambada Basadi (Thousand Pillars temple)
6
GS PAPER - 2
6
• Jyotirgamaya 6
• Ancient city in Iraq 7 • CiSS application: 17
• unearthed: 7 • Mukhyamantri Matrushakti Yojana 17
• Weaving Jamdani 7 • Rashtriya Puruskar Portal: 17
• Israel uncovers a rare early mosque in the Negev 7 • PM e Vidya 17
• Mela Kheerbhawani: 8 • SHRESHTA Scheme: 17
• Rukmini-Krishna Yatra 8 • Pradhan Mantri Aadi Adarsh Gram Yojana 18
• ‘Sao Joao’ festival (Goa) 8 • NIPUN (it is different from NIPUN Bharat under the
Ministry of Education) 18
• Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council
(BIRAC): 18
• Just transition Division 19
• Textile Park 19
• Revised Swachh certification protocols to sustain
ODF status 20
• GOAL 20
• Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) 20
• World Summit on the Information Society Forum
• Kranti Gatha: 9 2022: 21
• Kausani, Uttrakhand 9 • India, Israel, the US, UAE are participating in the
• Chapekar Brothers 9
• Muni Suvrata Nath 10
• Syama Prasad Mookerjee 10
• Ambubachi Mela 10
• Sievierodonetsk: 11
• Türkiye: 11
• Snake Island 11
• Vale do Javari 11
• Ogiek 12
• ‘Valley of Flowers’: 12
• Why Neptune and Uranus appear in different
colours? 13 I2U2 summit 21
• Yankti Kuti valley: 13 • Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (QSD): 21
• Supermoon 13 • Northern Ireland Protocol 21
• Summer Solstice 13 • ASEAN-India meets 22
• “22 degrees halo” 14 • Israel, UAE sign free trade deal, first with an Arab
country: 22
2 www.insightsonindia.com
• Card on File Tokenisation (CoFT) 27
• National Import-Export for Yearly Analysis of Trade
(NIRYAT) portal 28
• MCA reworks rules for winding up businesses 28
• Consumer Expenditure 28
• Survey (CES) 28
• Shrinkflation 29
• Psyche Mission 29
• White dwarf 29
• WHO to decide on Monkey Pox 29
• Buffalopox: 30
• What is HIMARS? 30
• Israel uncovers a rare early mosque in the Negev22 • Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation
• Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Invest- Centre (IN-SPACe): 30
ment (PGII) scheme 22 • LaMDA 30
• US: Historic Gun violence bill 22
• RIMPAC 23
• UN ocean conference: ‘Blue Deal’ 23
• GS PAPER - 3
• Cost inflation index 23
• Stagflation Risk 24
• Tokenisation 24
• Bad Banks 24
• Surety Bond 24
• Black Swan Event 25
• ICICI, HDFC, and NPCI’s IT resources as critical infor-
• Neural network 30
• QR Code for Drug packaging 30
• Captive Networks 31
• India’s GSAT-24 satellite launched 31
• BIS formulates performance standards for EV bat-
teries 31
• BIS 31
• NASA’s CAPSTONE Mission 32
• India’s first mRNA vaccine for Covid-19 32
• Radio Access Network 32
• Minimum educational qualification for CRPF Con-
stables relaxed: 33
• Patent for bacterial cement mortar brick 33
• Hermit 33
mation infra 25 • VL-SRSAM missile system 34
• Female, male and ‘open’ category 25 • State of Environment Report 2022: Rivers facing
• Google tax 25 heavy pollution: 34
• Multi-modal logistics parks (MMLPs) scheme 26 • What is World Environment Day? 34
• Hybrid Securities 26 • Lifestyle for the Environment (LiFE) Movement: 34
• Google asks for ‘narrowly tailored’ data localisation • Puneet Sagar Abhiyan: 35
26 • Atapaka Bird Sanctuary 35
• Dutch disease 27 • Kali Tiger Reserve 35
• Green Mining 35
www.insightsonindia.com 3
• Bharat New Car Assessment Programme (Bharat
NCAP):
• Environmental DNA:
36
36 Miscellaneous
• Air Quality 36
• Red list of birds in Kerela 36 • Nixtamalisation 41
• Eco-Sensitive Zones 37 • 0.7% of nation’s population was ‘temporary visitor’:
• Microplastics help viruses survive longer in water, Migration in India 2020-21 report 41
remain infectious: Study 37 • Global Estimates: Number of crisis-affected Chil-
dren and Adolescents in Need of Education Support
42
• Global Liveability Index 42
• Title IX 42
• 6th Schedule 42
• The judicial validity of the Talaq-e-Hasan mode of
divorce 42
• FCRA validity of NGOs 43
• Salt Sector 43
• Protect Free Speech, ‘Online and Offline’ 44
• First country in Asia to decriminalise cannabis: 44
• 21st amendment 44
• IMD’s World Competitiveness Index 45
• Etalin hydel: 37
• World Oceans Day 2022: 38
• Importance of Oceans: 38
• Threats to Oceans: 38
• Four new corals were recorded from Indian waters
38
• Ribbon weed: 38
• Paralitherizinosaurus japonicus: 39
• Chelonoidis phantasticus: 39
• Rare dragonfly spotted in Kerala for the first time39
• New species of bamboo-dwelling bat found in
Meghalaya 40
• Chilbil 40 • Dynamic world 45
• Largest bacterium ever found 40 • Operation Sankalp 45
• Painted Leopard Gecko: 41 • Hypogonadism: 45
• Ramsay Hunt Syndrome: 46
• Martin Ennals Award: 46
• World Bicycle Day: 46
• Regional English Language Office (RELO): 46
• Juneteenth 47
• Chess Olympiad Games 47
• Female, male and ‘open’ category 47
• India ranks fourth in global gold recycling 47
• Forensic probe to be made must for offences at-
tracting 6 years or more 48
• NH53: 48
• Turban Day Act: 48
• “Bharat Gaurav” express train 48
• Mitticool refrigerator 49
• qHPV 49
• World Milk Day: 49
What’s the issue?
GS PAPER - 1 The view about Charnock being the founder was chal-
lenged, and in 2003, Calcutta High Court declared that
Charnock ought not to be regarded as the founder.
• It ordered the government to purge his name from
Ancient Medieval/Art and culture all textbooks and official documents containing the
history of the city’s founding.
ANCIENT ROCK PAINTINGS • The court found that a “highly civilised society”
and “an important trading centre” had existed on
IDENTIFIED IN BARGUR the site long before Charnock established his set-
tlement.
Over 200 prehistoric paintings were recently identified Historical references:
at a cave in the forest area of Bargur Hills, Erode Dis- The site is mentioned in Bipradas Pipilai’s Manasa Man-
trict, Tamil Nadu. A rock has paintings in red ochre and gala (1495) and Abul Fazl’s Ain-I-Akbari (1596).
white. A hunting scene in red displays human figures
and a herd of deer standing opposite each other, while
in some images, deer of various sizes are presented.
JOB CHARNOCK: SAMBANDAR:

Recent archaeological excavations in Kolkata have pro-
vided further evidence of human habitation in the city Context:
from centuries before the time British administrator Ten antiquities (sculptures) retrieved from Australia
Job Charnock was said to have founded the city. and the United States were handed over to the Govern-
Charnock worked for the East India Company. ment of Tamil Nadu in Delhi last week. This included the
• He was historically been credited with founding the sculpture of Dancing child-saint Sambandar.
city in 1690 when the Company was consolidating • Sambandar of the 12th century belongs to the Cho-
its trade business in Bengal. la dynasty.
• Between the 14th and 16th centuries, the area was • He was a contemporary of Appar, another Saiva po-
under the rule of the Bengal Sultanate of the Mu- et-saint.
ghals. • He is one of the Muvar, the three principal saints of
South India.
• He composed an oeuvre of 16,000 hymns in com-
plex meters. ANANG TAL, MEHRAULI
• Sambandar was one of the nayanmars, a group Anang Tal is situated “to the north of Jog Maya temple
of sixty-three saints active in South India from the and approximately 500 metres to the northwest of Qu-
sixth to the ninth century who were instrumental in tub Complex”. Created by Tomar King, Anangpal II, in
popularizing the worship of Shiva through devotion- 1,060 AD It is also said Alauddin Khalji, in 1296-1316
al poetry and song. AD, utilised the water of this tank when he built (Alai)
minar and extended the Qutub-ul-Islam mosque.
SAAVIRA KAMBADA BASADI

(THOUSAND PILLARS TEMPLE)
Context:
The temple is also known as “Chandranatha Tem-
ple” since it honours the Tirthankara Chandraprabha,
whose eight-foot idol is worshipped in the shrine. It is
the most prominent of the 18 Jain temples in Moodu-
ARCHAEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF bidiri town, Karnataka.
The Basadi was built by the local chieftain, Devaraya
INDIA (ASI) Wodeyar in 1430 additions to temples were made in
The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is an Indian 1962. The shrine has a 50 feet tall monolith manasth-
government agency attached to the Ministry of Cul- ambha erected by Karkala Bhairava Queen Nagala Devi.
ture that is responsible for archaeological research and
the conservation and preservation of cultural historical
monuments in the country It was founded in 1861 by
Alexander Cunningham who also became its first Direc-
tor-General.
JYOTIRGAMAYA
Context:
As part of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, on the occasion of
World Music Day (21st June), Sangeet Natak Akademi
is presenting Jyotirgamaya- a festival to showcase the
talent of rare musical instruments from across the
country, including street performers, train entertainers,
performers attached to temples, etc.,
Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav is an initiative of the Govern-
ment of India to celebrate and commemorate 75 years
of independence and the glorious history of it’s people,
culture and achievements.
WEAVING JAMDANI
It is a cotton brocade characterised by floral patterns,
jamdani is a light and translucent fabric.
In 2013, UNESCO added jamdani weaving to the Rep-
resentative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of
Humanity. The fabric also received the Geographical
Indications (GI) tag in Bangladesh in 2016.
Jamdani weaving is believed to have emerged from the
Dhaka muslin industry, with both plain and decorative
motifs emerging during the reign of Muhammad bin
Tughlaq (1324–51), with the arrival of Persian crafts-
men to India.
ANCIENT CITY IN IRAQ

UNEARTHED:
The ruins of a 3,400-year-old lost city have been un-
earthed in Iraq after extreme drought severely deplet-
ed water levels in the country’s largest reservoir.
• The settlement is thought to be the ancient city of
Zakhiku, once a buzzing political center in the re-
gion.
• The Bronze Age settlement, long engulfed by the
Tigris River, emerged earlier this year in the Mosul
Dam.
• The city is located in the Kurdistan region at a site
known as Kemune.
• The settlement was likely a key hub during the Mit-
tani Empire, from 1550 to 1350 B.C.
• An earthquake likely destroyed much of the city
in around 1350 B.C., but some of its ruins are pre-
served underneath collapsed walls.
ISRAEL UNCOVERS A RARE EARLY
MOSQUE IN THE NEGEV
Context:
The remains of the mosque are believed to be more
than 1,200 years old
The mosque located in the Negev desert contains “a
square room and a wall facing the direction of Mec-
ca”, with a half-circle niche in that wall pointing to the
south,
These unique architectural features show that the
building was used as a mosque
RUKMINI-KRISHNA YATRA
Context:
National Monumental Authority (NMA) To Work
On Strengthening Rukmini Krishna Yatra Between
Arunachal Pradesh And Gujarat.
It aims to promote the concept of national unity and
generate awareness on the initiative – ‘Ek Bharat Shres-
tha Bharat’ envisioned by PM Modi.
Beautiful saga of Rukmini’s marriage to Lord Krishna is
still sung by the Idu Mishmi tribal community.
In Porbandar, Krishna’s marriage with Arunachal’s Ruk-
mini is also celebrated.
Festival in News
MELA KHEERBHAWANI:
The festival is the largest gathering of Hindus in Kashmir ‘SAO JOAO’ FESTIVAL (GOA)
after the annual Amarnath Yatra. ‘Sao Joao’ festival is the feast of St John the Baptist.
Kashmiri Hindus, locally known as Pandits, will cele- Traditionally, people jump into the well but since the
brate this festival at the Mata Kheerbhawani temple wells are fast disappearing, people prefer to celebrate
in Kashmir. it in swimming pools.
The temple is dedicated to the goddess Ragnya Devi. It is celebrated to commemorate the day in the name
of St John De Baptista who was believed to have bap-
tised Jesus Christ.
Sao Joao, like any other Goan festival, has that capti-
vating spirit of merriment, colour and tradition. People
dressed in colourful outfits from several villages meet
and celebrate the day like a carnival.
KAUSANI, UTTRAKHAND
Context:
Increasing heat and changing rain cycles had affected
this region.
Mahatma Gandhi arrived here in June 1929 from
Andhra Pradesh. He called this place the ‘Switzerland
of India
He authored his famous book Anasakti Yoga based on
the Srimad Bhagavad Gita here.
Apart from the Anasakti Ashram where Gandhiji stayed,
there is Sumitranandan Pant Gallery, a museum dedi-
Modern History/Personality cated to the great Hindi poet who was born here. Pant’s
poetry is known for its romanticism inspired by na-
ture’s beauty.
KRANTI GATHA:
The Gallery of Indian Revolutionaries has been created
in the bunker that was discovered below Raj Bhavan in
2016. It is a tribute to the known and unknown revolu-
tionaries of the Indian freedom movement.

CHAPEKAR BROTHERS
Context:
The bunker at Raj Bhavan was discovered in 2016 by the On June 22, 1897, Chapekar Brothers attacked General
then Governor of Maharashtra N Vidyasagar Rao. Built Rand
before the First World War, it was used by the British to The three brothers Damodar, Balkrishna and Vasudev
store arms and ammunition. The bunker has 13 rooms were heavily inspired by conservative ideologies and a
of various sizes and the different cells in it were known sense of rebellion against the British. Inspired by the
as ‘Shell Store’, ‘Gun Shell’, Cartridge Store, Shell Lift, strong language that Balgangadhar Tilak used in his
Central Artillery Room, Workshop, etc. newspaper “Kesari” they decided to take action and
bring down Rand who had ashamed hundreds of fami-
lies in Pune.
Lala Lajpat Rai, a close aide of Lokmanya Tilak, re-
portedly wrote, “Chapekar brothers were, in fact, the
founders of the revolutionary movement in India.”
SYAMA PRASAD MOOKERJEE
Context:
Remembering Syama Prasad Mookerjee, the founder
of Bharatiya Jana Sangh, on His 69th Death Anniver-
sary
Syama Prasad Mookerjee was the founder of Bharatiya
Jana Sangh. He was also independent India’s first Min-
ister of Industry and Supply. He was initially a part of
the Indian National Congress.
Mookerjee other members of the Hindu Mahasabha
were against the Quit India Movement they thought
that the Quit India movement will destroy the integrity
of society.
MUNI SUVRATA NATH

Context:
Statue of Muni Suvrata Nath 20th Thirthankara has
come up at Jainaragutti near Adagur in Hassan taluk,
Karnataka. The Kamala peetha (lotus seat) and an im-
age of a tortoise at the base, are about 54-ft tall.
He became a Siddha, a liberated soul which has de-
stroyed all of his karma. Events of the Jaina version
of Ramayana are placed at the time of Munisuvratana-
tha. He lived for over 30,000 years. His chief apostle
(gaṇadhara) was sage Malli Svāmi. AMBUBACHI MELA
The Ambubachi Mela is an annual Hindu mela held

at Kamakhya Temple in Guwahati, Assam. This year-
ly Mela is celebrated during the monsoon season that
happens to fall during the Assamese month Ahaar,
around the middle of June when the sun transit to the
zodiac of Mithuna, when the Brahmaputra river is in
spate.
The festival marks the annual menstruation of the pre-
siding Goddess.
The temple (on the Nilachal Hills) houses the yoni (fe-
male genital)symbolised by a rock.
Kamakhya is one of 51 shakti peethasor holy sites for
the followers of the Shakti cult
Places in News
SIEVIERODONETSK:
Why in News?
Russia has shifted its focus on Sievierodonetsk after fail-
ing to seize Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, in the first phase of
the war.
About Sievierodonetsk:
Located nearly 140 km south of the Russian border,
Sievierodonetsk is one of the largest cities of the Don- TÜRKIYE:
bas region. The United Nations has agreed to a formal request for
It is located near the left bank of the Siverskyi Donets the name change from Turkey.
river, and has a population of over a lakh. Turkey will now be known as Türkiye.
Administratively, Sievierodonetsk falls under Ukraine’s Domestically, citizens refer to the land as Turkiye, but
Luhansk oblast (province). its anglicised version ‘Turkey’ was adopted internation-
It is a big industrial hub known for chemical works and ally.
machine-building factories. Issues with the word – ‘Turkey’?
Turkey government was not pleased with the Google
search results that came up for the word ‘Turkey’.
Some of these results included the large bird that is
served for Thanksgiving and Christmas meals in North
America.
According to Cambridge Dictionary’s definition, the
term “turkey” means “something that fails badly” or
“a stupid or silly person”.
It is spread over 85,444 sq km and it is home to “the
greatest concentration of isolated groups in the Ama-
zon and the world”.
The region has rich gold resources.

SNAKE ISLAND
Context: Tribes in News
Ukraine has said it has caused “significant losses” to OGIEK
the Russian military in airstrikes on Zmiinyi Island, also
Context:
known as Snake Island, in the Black Sea.
African court orders Kenya to pay $1.3 million as repa-
Zmiinyi Island, also known as Snake or Serpent Island,
rations to indigenous Ogiek people
is a small piece of rock less than 700 that has been de-
Since independence, and indeed prior to it, Ogiek have
scribed as being “X-shaped”. It is located 35 km from
been routinely subjected to arbitrary forced evictions
the coast of the Black Sea, to the east of the mouth of
from their ancestral lands by the Kenyan government,
the Danube, and roughly southwest of the port city of
without consultation or compensation
Odessa.
Who are the Ogiek?
The Ogiek are thus among some of the most marginal-
ised of all indigenous peoples and minorities in Kenya.
Traditionally honey-gatherers, they survive mainly on
wild fruits and roots, game hunting, and traditional
beekeeping. Having inhabited the Mau Forest for many
centuries, their unique way of life is closely tied to its
rich biodiversity and natural resources: in fact, the term
‘Ogiek’ literally means ‘caretaker of all plants and wild
animals’.
VALE DO JAVARI:
British journalist Dom Phillips and a Brazilian indige-
nous affairs expert, Bruno Araujo Pereira, recently went
missing in Vale do Javari.
Vale do Javari is a region in the Amazon Rainforest.
It is the western section of the Brazilian Amazon
named after the Javari river, which forms the country’s
border with Peru.
Geography spheres, the blue light scattered in their atmospheres
would make both appear nearly identically blue.
‘VALLEY OF FLOWERS’:
The Valley of Flowers was recently opened for tourists.
It is located in Uttarakhand.
Declared a National Park in 1982, the Valley of Flowers
stretches over an expanse of 87.50 sq. km.
It was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2005.
The valley was an accidental discovery by an avid British
mountaineer and a botanist, Frank S Smythe, when he
was traversing through the region in 1931.
The valley today is home to over 600 flowering species,
including some exotic varieties like Brahmkamal, which
is also the state flower of Uttarakhand.
Blue poppy, described as the Queen of Flowers, can
also be found here.
YANKTI KUTI VALLEY:
The oldest known glacial advance from Uttarakhand
The region also has a rich faunal diversity with species
was observed in the central Himalayas’ Yankti Kuti val-
like the leopard, musk deer, and blue sheep.
ley.
It is located on a unique transition zone between the
Through its geomorphological mapping, the scientists
mountain ranges of the Zanskar and Great Himalaya.
were able to identify four events of glaciation that hap-
The park lies completely in the temperate alpine zone.
pened during the past 52,000 MIS 3.

The term MIS 3 refers to the alternating warm and cool
periods that occurred during the Earth’s Palaeoclimate
found through oxygen isotope data reflecting tempera-
ture fluctuations.
About the Yankti Kuti valley:
Located in Uttarakhand.
It is the last valley before the border with Tibet.
It runs along a NW to SE axis, formed by the river Kuti
Yankti, which is one of the headwaters of the Kali River
that forms the boundary between India and Nepal in
this region.
This valley is mainly dominated by Byansis, one of the
four Bhotiya communities of Kumaon, with the others
being Johar, Darmiya and Chaudansi.
WHY NEPTUNE AND URANUS AP-
PEAR IN DIFFERENT COLOURS?

Neptune and Uranus have a lot in common, such as
similar masses, sizes, and atmospheric components,
but their colours are very different.
Neptune is a rich, deep azure colour at visible wave-
lengths, while Uranus is a notably light shade of blue.
Astronomers have now found the explanation for this.
The cloud around Uranus is thicker than around Nep-
tune, which explains why.
Uranus seems lighter in tone than Neptune because of
its lethargic, sluggish atmosphere.
If there was no haze in Neptune’s and Uranus’ atmo-
SUPERMOON
A supermoon occurs when the Moon’s orbit is closest
(perigee to earth) to earth at the same time the Moon
is full. When a full moon appears at perigee it is brighter
and larger than a regular full moon- and that’s where
we get a ‘supermoon’.
“22 DEGREES HALO”

Halos form when light from the sun or moon is re-
fracted by ice crystals associated with thin, high-level
SUMMER SOLSTICE clouds (like cirrostratus clouds). A 22-degree halo is a
Context: ring of light 22 degrees from the sun (or moon) and is
Summer Solstice also called as June solstice is the lon- the most common type of halo observed and is formed
gest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere and by hexagonal ice crystals with diameters less than 20.5
the shortest day in the Southern Hemisphere, it marks micrometres.
the onset of the summer season in the Northern Hemi- A 22-degree halo develops when light enters one side
sphere and the winter season in the Southern Hemi- of a columnar ice crystal and exits through another side.
sphere. On the day of the June solstice, the North Pole
is tipped more directly toward the sun, and the South
Pole is tipped more directly away from the sun.

KODAVA:
Why the name Tropic of Cancer and Tropic of Kodavas are a unique race of people who live in Kodagu
Capricorn? (Coorg, as the British called it), in Karnataka. Very little
They were named 2000 years ago, during that time the is known about the origin of this community of warriors
Sun was in the constellation of Capricorn during the who have lived on the slopes of the Western Ghats.
winter solstice and Cancer during the summer sol- They are unique and excel in Sports as well as Armed
stice (hence the names). Now due to the precession of Forces. For many years, Kodavas have been cultivating
the equinoxes, the Sun is no longer in these constella- fields, maintaining cattle and carrying arms for a war.
tions during these times, but the names remain.
UDHAMPUR, J&K GETS EARTH-
QUAKE OBSERVATORY
It is part of an effort titled Seismic Microzonation,
which aims to generate vital geotechnical and seismo-
logical parameters for developing earthquake risk resil-
ient building design codes for structures and infrastruc-
tures. Specifically, it has initiated actions for the setting
up of an earthquake early warning system (EEWS) on a
pilot basis for a small area in the Himalayas.
Jammu and Kashmir is the westernmost extension of
the Himalayas. Udhampur district lies between the two
major seismogenic faults — namely the Main Frontal
Thrust (MFT) and the Main Boundary Thrust (MBT) —
which are among the potential factors for generating
earthquakes in the J&K region.
MISSING EASTERLY WINDS LEAVE

NORTHWEST RAIN DEFICIT,
NORTHEAST DELUGED: IMD
Context:
While all-India rainfall was 18 per cent short of nor-
mal, Assam and Meghalaya were submerged in record
MILLETS rainfall last week. Shows increasing rainfall variability.
Rainfall Variability: The degree to which rainfall
Context: amounts vary across an area or through time is an im-
MoS for M/o Food Processing Industries, inaugurates portant characteristic of the climate of an area. This
the National Conference on Millets on the theme ‘The subject area in meteorology/climatology is called “rain-
Future Super Food for India’. fall variability.” There are two types (or components) of
Millets are a group of highly variable small-seeded rainfall variability, areal and temporal. The study of the
grasses, widely grown around the world as cereal crops latter is important in understanding climate change.
or grains for fodder and human food.

• Millets in India: jowar (sorghum), bajra (pearl mil-
let) and ragi (finger millet) and varities of small mil-
lets like kodo, kutki, chenna and sanwa.
• Major producers: Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Tel-
angana, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Guja-
rat and Haryana.
• Superfood: Millets are low cost and are rich in iron,
calcium, magnesium, and antioxidants ( e.g. Ragi is
known to have the highest calcium content) among
all the food grains.
• Climate Resilient: They are also harder
and drought-resistant crops with a short growing
season and lower water requirement.
UDAIPUR’S ‘BIRD VILLAGE’ IS SET
TO BE DECLARED A WETLAND
Recognised as the “bird village” following communi-
ty-driven conservation efforts, Menar in the Udaipur
district is set to be notified as Rajasthan’s new wetland.
This will pave the way for getting the Ramsar site status
for this rural heartland of the Mewar region.
At present, Rajasthan has two wetlands recognised as
Ramsar sites – Keoladeo Ghana in Bharatpur district
and Sambhar Salt Lake in Jaipur district.

SUNSPOT
A huge sunspot that is directly facing earth has grown
to be twice the size of Earth and its width has doubled
in just 24 hours.
Sunspots are areas that appear dark on the surface of
the Sun. They appear dark because they are cooler than
URANIUM DEPOSIT IN
other parts of the Sun’s surface. Solar flares are a sud- RAJASTHAN
den explosion of energy caused by tangling, crossing or Context:
reorganizing of magnetic field lines near sunspots. Huge reserves of uranium was found at Rohil (Khandela
Tehsil) in Sikar district, which is over 120 km from the
state capital Jaipur.
• Status: After Jharkhand and Andhra Pradesh, Ra-
jasthan is the third state where uranium — which
is considered one of the rare minerals in the world
— has been found.
• World: The largest producers of uranium in the
world are Kazakhstan, Canada and Australia
• India imports uranium mostly from Kazakhstan and
Canada
• Commercial: The Rajasthan government has for-
ayed into the field of uranium mining by issuing a
letter of intent (LoI) to the Uranium Corporation of
India.
• Use: Uranium is mainly used for generating electric-
ity and also for nuclear energy, medicines, defence
equipment and photography
GS PAPER - 2
• Characteristics: Uranium is a silvery-white metallic
chemical element. Uranium-235 (its isotope) is the
only naturally occurring isotope, capable of sustain-
ing nuclear fission.
Imp government initiative
CISS APPLICATION:
The National Commission for the Protection of Child
Rights (NCPCR) has launched a “CiSS application” un-
der the Baal Swaraj portal to help in the rehabilitation
process of Children in Street Situations (CiSS).
The CiSS application is used for receiving data of chil-
dren in street situations from all the states and union
MISSING EASTERLY WINDS LEAVE territories, tracking their rescue and rehabilitation pro-
NORTHWEST RAIN DEFICIT, cess. The initiative is taken under the direction of the
Supreme Court of India.
NORTHEAST DELUGED: IMD Baal Swaraj is a portal launched by NCPCR for online
Context: tracking and digital real-time monitoring mechanism of
While all-India rainfall was 18 per cent short of nor- children in need of care and protection.
mal, Assam and Meghalaya were submerged in record
rainfall last week. Shows increasing rainfall variability.
Rainfall Variability: The degree to which rainfall
amounts vary across an area or through time is an im-
portant characteristic of the climate of an area. This
subject area in meteorology/climatology is called “rain-
fall variability.” There are two types (or components) of
rainfall variability, areal and temporal. The study of the
latter is important in understanding climate change.
MUKHYAMANTRI MATRUSHAKTI
YOJANA
Gujarat government has recently launched it for mater-
nal nutrition. Under the “Mukhyamantri Matrushakti
Yojana”, pregnant and lactating mothers will be given
2 kg of chickpeas, 1 kg of tur dal and 1 kg of edible oil
free of cost every month from anganwadi centers in Gu-
jarat. An estimated 1.36 lakh women will benefit from
the scheme. Other scheme: ‘Poshan Sudha Yojana’ - It
offers one nutritious meal a day to pregnant and lactat-
ing women.
SHRESHTA SCHEME:
RASHTRIYA PURUSKAR PORTAL: Ministry of social Justice and empowerment has
A common ‘Rashtriya Puruskar Portal’ has been devel-
launched the Scheme “SHRESHTA”-Scheme for resi-
oped by Government, to invite nominations for various
dential education for students in High school in Tar-
awards, in order to bring all the Awards of different
geted Areas.
Ministries or Departments or Agencies under one digi-
• The Scheme will be beneficial for SC students who
tal platform.
could not reach for higher quality education.
This portal will help in ensuring transparency and public
• It provides for high quality education for meritori-
partnership (Jan Bhagidari).
ous but poor SC students in CBSE-affiliated reputed
It has been created with the aim of facilitating citizens
residential schools across the country.
to nominate individuals or organizations for various
Eligibility: The students belonging to Scheduled Castes,
Awards constituted by Government of India.
studying in class 8th and 10th in the current academ-
ic year and students belonging to marginalized income
PM E VIDYA group within the SC community, whose parental annual
Context: income is upto Rs.2.5 Lakh are eligible.
Central Institute of Educational Technology (CIET), a Selection: They are selected through a transpar-
constituent unit of NCERT, gets UNESCO recognition for ent mechanism through a National Entrance Test for
use of ICT in school education. It has won UNESCO’s SHRESHTA (NETS), which is conducted by the Nation-
King Hamad Bin Isa Al-Khalifa Prize for the year 2021. al Testing Agency (NTA) for admission in class 9th and
Pradhan Mantri e-VIDYA (launched in 2020) is a pro- 11th.
gramme that will provide multimode access to digital
education. It consists of many educational TV channels, PRADHAN MANTRI AADI ADARSH
radio podcasts, and e-learning content.
GRAM YOJANA
Launched by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs for faster
development of tribal villages. It will help in the con-
vergence and coordination of various schemes (similar
to Adarsh Gram Yojana). It will also allow convergence
with Aspirational district programmes in the tribal dis-
tricts of the country.
AatmaNirbhar Bharat.’
About BIRAC:
BIRAC is a not-for-profit Public Sector Enterprise, set up
by the Department of Biotechnology (DBT).
Objective: To strengthen and empower the emerging
Biotech enterprise to undertake strategic research and
innovation, addressing nationally relevant product de-
velopment needs.
Functions:
• Providing access to risk capital through targeted
funding.
• Technology transfer.
• IP management and handholding schemes that help
bring innovation excellence to the biotech firms and
NIPUN (IT IS DIFFERENT FROM make them globally competitive.
NIPUN BHARAT UNDER THE MIN-
ISTRY OF EDUCATION)
Context:
Union Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs launched
a project named National Initiative for Promoting Up-
skilling of Nirman workers (NIPUN) for the promotion
of Upskilling of 1 lakh Nirman Workers.
It comes under MoHUA’s DAY-NULM (National Urban
Livelihood Mission)
It will train construction workers to access self-employ-
ment and skilled wage employment opportunities
Implementation will be done by National Skill Develop-
ment Corporation (under MSDE) JUST TRANSITION DIVISION
Construction is one of the largest employers and con- For the first time ever, the Union ministry of coal will
tributes about 9% to India’s GDP. have a ‘just transition’ division, which will draft sustain-
able coal mine closure plans for areas economically de-
pendent on the dry fuel.
BIOTECHNOLOGY INDUSTRY
RESEARCH ASSISTANCE COUNCIL
(BIRAC):
To mark the completion of ten years of setting up of
Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council
(BIRAC), Biotech Startup Expo – 2022 was launched
with the theme ‘Biotech Startup Innovations: Towards
TEXTILE PARK PERFORMANCE GRADING INDEX
The Central government wants to create 75 textile hubs
across the country on the lines of Tiruppur to generate
FOR DISTRICTS (PGI-D)
Context:
jobs and support higher textile exports.
The 1st ever report on PGI-D for the year 2018-19 and
• Tiruppur case: Tiruppur’s garment exports in 2021-
2019-20 was released to grade schools in Indian dis-
2022 were ₹30,000 crores. The garment industry in
tricts.
Tiruppur provided direct employment to six lakh
• Conducted by: Department of School Education and
people and indirect employment to four lakh peo-
Literacy (DoSEL under the ministry of education)
ple. Also, nearly 70% of these workers were wom-
• Importance: Will help prioritise interventions in
en and people from the marginalised sections.
school education
• Status of India: Almost four crore people were
• Methodology: It grades districts in 10 grades e.g.
employed across the textile value chain in the
Daksh (>90 points ), Utkarsh (81-90%), etc.
country. According to the study, after agriculture,
• Data collection: from Unified District Information
the textiles and garments sector is the second big-
System for Education (UDISE), National Achieve-
gest employment generator in India. India is the
ment Survey (NAS) of NCERT, and Shagun portal of
world’s fifth-largestexporter of apparel, home, and
DoSEL.
technical products.
• State achievers: Chandigarh (Top), Gujarat, Kerela,
• PM MITRA: Government will set up seven Mega In-
Delhi
tegrated Textile Region and Apparel (PM MITRA)
• District achiever: Sikar, Jhunjhunu and Jaipur (all in
Parks. MITRA park aims to integrate the entire tex-
RJ)
tile value chain from spinning, weaving, process-
• No ‘Daksh’ achiever district
ing/dyeing, and printing to garment manufacturing
• Other Metrics: National Achievement survey (for
at one location.
school education by MoE); School Equality Index
.
(grades states and UT by Niti Ayog).

REVISED SWACHH CERTIFICATION
PROTOCOLS TO SUSTAIN ODF
STATUS
Context:
Swachh Bharat Mission Urban 2.0 (SBM-U 2.0) has
launched the revised Swachh Certification Protocols for
Open Defecation Free (ODF), ODF+, ODF++, and Water+
certifications.
SBM-U was launched in 2014 to achieve 100% ODF sta-
tus in all urban local bodies. 2.0 refers to the 2021-22
to 2025-26 phase..
OPEN NETWORK FOR DIGITAL
COMMERCE (ONDC)
Context:
It is an initiative of the Department for Promotion of
Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) under the Ministry
of Commerce and Industry.

ONDC is a network based on open protocol and will en-
able local commerce across segments, such as mobili-
ty, grocery, food order and delivery, hotel booking and
travel, among others, to be discovered and engaged by
any network-enabled application.

The platform aims to create new opportunities, curb
digital monopolies and supports MSME and help them
get on online platforms.
GOAL
Context
Ministry of Tribal Affairs launched the 2nd Phase of the
Going Oline as Leaders Programme (GOAL) programme.
It is in partnership with Facebook India
Aim:
Identify, mobilise, and connect 2,500 renowned
leaders from the industry, who can personally men-
tor 5,000 youth (women) from tribal communities
across the country.
Digitally upskill 10 lakh youth from tribal communities
Create a platform for Self-Help Group and those associ-
ated with TRIFED to take their products global.
International News and was accompanied by one of the largest joint
military exercises of the modern era, the Malabar
Exercise.
WORLD SUMMIT ON THE
INFORMATION SOCIETY FORUM NORTHERN IRELAND PROTOCOL
2022: During Brexit negotiations the EU and UK agreed a
The forum was held recently at Geneva, Switzerland. Northern Ireland Protocol that there would be no new
• The World Summit on the Information Society checks on goods crossing the border between Norther
(WSIS) Forum 2022 represents the United Nations’s Ireland and the Republic of Ireland (ROI). Now, a new bill
first and largest annual gathering of the Commu- by UK intends to override provisions of the Brexit deal.
nication Technologies (CT) for development com- EU said that the proposed law violates international law
munity. and has threatened to take legal action against the U.K.
• Co-organized by International Telecommunication
Union(ITU), UNESCO, UNDP and UNCTAD in close
collaboration with all WSIS Action Line facilitators.
• Theme for 2022: “ICTs for Well-Being, Inclusion and
Resilience: WSIS Cooperation for Accelerating Prog-
ress on the SDGs”.
Objective: It is a unique two-phase United Nations (UN)
summit that was initiated in order to create an evolv-
ing multi- stakeholder platform aimed at addressing
the issues raised by information and communication
technologies (ICTs) through a structured and inclusive
approach at the national, regional and international
levels.
INDIA, ISRAEL, THE US, UAE ARE ASEAN-INDIA MEETS

PARTICIPATING IN THE I2U2 The controversy over the derogatory comments about
Prophet Muhammed was discussed “informally” during
SUMMIT the 24th ASEAN-India ministerial meeting. ASEAN offi-
Context: The US President will host a virtual summit cially the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, is a
with the Prime Minister of India, Israel Prime Minister political and economic union of 10 member states in
and UAE President during his visit to West Asia from Southeast Asia.
July 13 to 16. The new grouping will be called “I2U2”
— “I” for India and Israel and “U” for the US and UAE.

I2U2 Grouping:
Previously called, the ‘International Forum for Eco-
nomic Cooperation, the group is already being dubbed
the ‘New Quad’ or the ‘Middle-Eastern Quad’ along
the lines of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (QSD).

QUADRILATERAL SECURITY
DIALOGUE (QSD):
• The QSD often called the ‘Quad’ is a strategic dia-
logue between the United States, India, Japan and
Australia.
• The dialogue was started in 2007 in response to in-
creasing Chinese aggression in the South China Sea
ISRAEL, UAE SIGN FREE TRADE PARTNERSHIP FOR GLOBAL IN-
DEAL, FIRST WITH AN ARAB FRASTRUCTURE AND INVEST-
COUNTRY: MENT (PGII) SCHEME
• Israel and the United Arab Emirates have signed a Context:
free trade agreement. President Biden and G7 Leaders Formally Launched the
• This is the first of its kind that Israel has concluded Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment.
with an Arab country. • It is a plan to mobilise $600bn in funding for the
• The deal scraps customs duties on 96% of all prod- developing world in a move seen as a counter to
ucts traded. China’s Belt and Road plan.
The UAE was the first Gulf country to normalise ties • The initiative will be geared towards tackling climate
with Israel and only the third Arab nation to do so after change, improving global health, achieving gender
Egypt and Jordan. equity and building digital infrastructure.
• Background: The infrastructure plan was first un-
ISRAEL UNCOVERS A RARE EARLY veiled at the 2021 G7 summit in Britain. Called the
Build Back Better World at the time, the US-driven
MOSQUE IN THE NEGEV plan faltered from a lack of progress, and the proj-
ect was renamed to PGII before being resuscitated
Context: at the 2022 summit.
The remains of the mosque are believed to be more
than 1,200 years old US: HISTORIC GUN VIOLENCE BILL
The mosque located in the Negev desert contains “a Amid the incidence of the mass shooting, the US Sen-
square room and a wall facing the direction of Mec- ate passed tougher laws to make tougher background
ca”, with a half-circle niche in that wall pointing to the checks for the youngest gun buyers, keep firearms from
south, more domestic violence offenders etc. The new law also
These unique architectural features show that the addresses the issue related to the ‘boyfriend loophole’
building was used as a mosque (see diagram).
In India, under the Indian Arms Act, 1959, a licence
is required to acquire, possess, or carry any firearm or
ammunition.
RIMPAC nations,
Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) is the largest naval exer-
cise including four Quad countries (including India)
and others in the pacific rim. It is held biennially from
June-July and is administered by US Navy’s Indo-Pacific
Command. It aims to train countries to ensure the safe-
ty of sea lanes and security on the world’s oceans.
GS PAPER - 3
Economy
COST INFLATION INDEX

CII values reflect the average change in the prices of
goods and assets year-on-year due to inflation or defla-
tion. It helps us reduce our tax burden.
UN OCEAN CONFERENCE: ‘BLUE

DEAL’
Context:
A “Blue Deal” is being promoted at the 2022 United Na-
tions Ocean Conference to enable the sustainable use
of ocean resources for economic growth. STAGFLATION RISK
It includes global trade, investment, and innovation As per RBI’s latest ‘State of the Economy Report’, even
to create a sustainable and resilient ocean economy, as stagflation risks loom over some of the major global
according to the UN Conference on Trade and Develop- economies, including the US, India is better placed to
ment (UNCTAD). avoid such a risk. A combination of the words “stagna-
Benefits: tion” and “inflation,” stagflation describes an economy
• Coastal and island developing nations can bene- with high unemployment and little to no growth even
fit from the sustainable development of the ocean as prices are rising faster than normal.
economy, including fisheries and aquaculture,
coastal tourism, maritime transport, offshore re-
newable energy, ecosystem services, and marine
genetic resources.
• It can create jobs and generate revenue for these
pany Ltd (IDRCL), will then try to sell
the stressed assets in the market.
Public Sector Banks (PSBs) will hold 51% and 49% of
them respectively.
TOKENISATION SURETY BOND

As per RBI, all merchants must delete customer debit
and credit card data on or before June 30 and replace Context:
card payments with unique tokens for all online, point- Government has asked IRDAI to come up with such a
of-sale and in-app transactions. bond, which can replace expensive Bank Guarantees.
Tokenization is a process by which card details are re- In finance, a surety bond or guaranty involves a prom-
placed by a unique code or token, allowing online pur- ise by one party to assume responsibility for the debt
chases to go through without exposing sensitive card obligation of a borrower if that borrower defaults.
details. It is generally provided by the insurance company to
allow the harmed party to make a claim on the bond to
recover losses.
BAD BANKS
A bad bank is an Asset reconstruction company (ARC)
that alienates risky assets held by banks and financial BLACK SWAN EVENT
institutions. Context:
• Purpose: It is created to help banks clean their bal- As per the latest RBI study, capital outflows to the tune
ance sheets by transferring their bad loans so that of $100 billion (around Rs 7,80,000 crore) are likely to
the banks can focus on their core business of taking take place from India in a major global risk scenario or
deposits and lending money. a black swan event.
• Indian government has set up two new such enti-
ties:
• NARCL: It will acquire stressed assets from various
commercial banks in different phases.
• IDRCL: India Debt Resolution Com-
must have completed their transition before the age of
12. Athletics and FIFA may also follow swimming cues.
It will have a new ‘open’ category to allow everybody
equal opportunity to compete at an elite level.
ICICI, HDFC, AND NPCI’S IT RE-

SOURCES AS CRITICAL INFORMA-
TION INFRA
Context:
The government has declared the IT resources of ICI-
CI Bank, HDFC Bank and UPI managing entity NPCI as
‘critical information infrastructure’, implying any harm
to them can have an impact on national security and
any unauthorised person accessing these resources
may be jailed for up to 10 years.
Critical Infrastructure: Critical infrastructure describes
the physical and cyber systems and assets that are so
vital to the country that their incapacity or destruction
would have a debilitating impact on our physical or
economic security or public health or safety.
GOOGLE TAX
India’s equalization levy, or the so-called Google tax
on offshore digital economy firms, is set to stay beyond
2023, as a global tax deal for digital economy taxation
and a plan for a minimum global corporate tax rate of
15% has faced implementation challenges.
Equalisation Levy is a direct tax, which is withheld at
the time of payment by the service recipient. India in-
troduced ‘Equalisation Levy 2.0’ (EL 2.0) vide Finance
Act 2020, beginning 1 April 2020. The levy applies to
non-resident e-commerce operators (ECO) for consid-
eration received from the supply of goods or services
FEMALE, MALE AND ‘OPEN’

CATEGORY
Swimming’s international governing body FINA barred
participation of transgenders in the women’s catego-
ry – the exception being that the transgender athlete
MULTI-MODAL LOGISTICS PARKS
(MMLPS) SCHEME
Context:
The government has extended the concession period
for the multi-modal logistics parks (MMLPs) scheme
from 30 to 45 years, to attract more long-term invest-
ment into India’s infrastructure. GOOGLE ASKS FOR ‘NARROWLY
• The government has planned to build 35 such
mega freight-and-transport hubs under its flagship TAILORED’ DATA LOCALISATION
Bharatmala scheme, aiming to smoothen freight Google has suggested that -Local storage requirements
mobility, improve efficiency and reduce logistics should be “as narrowly tailored as possible” to mini-
costs. mise its “downsides” and optimise for some very spe-
• The logistics sector in India has been accorded “in- cific legitimate requirements.
frastructure” status in 2017, facilitating the avail- • Under India’s data protection bill, big tech compa-
ability of debt on easier terms and access to exter- nies are mandated to store a copy of certain sen-
nal commercial borrowings. India’s logistics costs sitive personal data within India and the export of
are at 14% (world average 7-8%). India ranks 44 in undefined “critical” personal data from the country
the World Bank Logistics Performance Index is prohibited.
• MMLPs have five key functions:freight aggregation • Data localisation is the practice of storing data on
and distribution, multimodal freight transport, inte- any device that is physically present within the bor-
grated storage and warehousing, information tech- ders of the country where the data is generated.
nology support, and value-added services. • As of now, most of these data are stored, in a cloud,
outside India.
• Draft National E-Commerce Policy Framework rec-
ommended data localisation and suggested a two-
year sunset period for the industry to adjust before
localization rules become mandatory.
• Sri Krishna Committee Report said at least one copy
of personal data will need to be stored on servers
located within India.
HYBRID SECURITIES
A hybrid security is a single financial security that com-
bines two or more different financial instruments. Hy-
brid securities are securities that have a combination
of debt and equity characteristics. The original hybrid
security was preferred stock, representing ownership in
a company (like equity) but having fixed payments (like
bonds). E.g., Convertible Bonds
CARD ON FILE TOKENISATION
(COFT)
Context:
RBI has moved to introduce card-on-file tokenisation
(CoFT)
The word tokenisation refers to the replacement of an
DUTCH DISEASE actual card number with an alternative code which
Dutch Disease in economics refers to a phenomenon will be converted into a token.
wherein a country witnesses uneven growth across It is considered safer as the actual card details are not
sectors due to the discovery of natural resources, es- shared with the merchant during transaction process-
pecially large oil reserves ing.
• Phenomenon: When a country discovers natural re- Card-on-File: A CoF transaction is a transaction where
sources and starts exporting them to the rest of the a cardholder has authorised a merchant to store the
world, it causes the exchange rate of the currency cardholder’s Mastercard or Visa payment details e.g.
to appreciate significantly and this, in turn, discour- e-commerce companies, and hotels generally do it.
ages the exports from other sectors while encour-
aging the import of cheaper alternatives.
• g., the Netherlands (1960s) discovered gas reserves
in the North Sea. The subsequent export of oil
and the appreciation of the Dutch currency made
Dutch exports of all non-oil products less competi-
tive on the world market. Unemployment rose from
1.1% to 5.1% and capital investment in the country
dropped. Following this, over the years, the country
witnessed a downfall in the industrial sector.
NATIONAL IMPORT-EXPORT FOR give additional opportunities to companies for making
the case for an exit through electronic filing after the
YEARLY ANALYSIS OF TRADE initial request.
(NIRYAT) PORTAL The idea is to make the corporate exit process under
the Companies Act provisions, outside the Insolvency
PM inaugurated Vanijya Bhawan and launched the Na- and Bankruptcy Code (IBC), smoother.
tional Import-Export for Yearly Analysis of Trade (NIRY-
AT) portal Voluntary winding up offers an opportunity for compa-
• The portal will also provide a public database on nies with little economic activity to down their shutters
exports from states and will help break down silos outside the IBC process. This is vital for the industry as
and help the industry to take fast decisions. many entrepreneurs remain unable to commence busi-
• It will also ultimately connect the government’s ness operations for various economic reasons after in-
work on one district one export plan. corporating a company.
• From this portal, important information related to
more than 30 commodity groups exported to more
than 200 countries of the world will be available.
India’s merchandise exports touched a record $418
billion in 2021-22, led by robust growth in petroleum
products, engineering, gems and jewellery, chemicals,
and pharmaceuticals, data. However, India’s trade defi-
cit has surged to an all-time high
CONSUMER EXPENDITURE
SURVEY (CES)
Context:
The government is set to launch a new household con-
sumer expenditure survey (CES) in July
The basket itself has been expanded in the new round.
The largest category of ‘miscellaneous’ items has been
segregated for detailed collection of data on the con-
sumption of those items, along with the inclusion of
items which have seen higher consumption trends in
recent times. Also, detailed questions for seeking in-
puts on welfare subsidies such as food grains are learnt
to have been included.
The CES is a quinquennial (recurring every five years)
survey conducted by the government’s National Sta-
tistics Office (NSO) that is designed to collect informa-
tion on the consumer spending patterns of households
across the country, both urban and rural.
MCA REWORKS RULES FOR

WINDING UP BUSINESSES
Context:
The ministry of corporate affairs (MCA) has revised the
rules on the voluntary winding up of companies to
SHRINKFLATION WHITE DWARF
Context: Context:
During February-April, data analytics noted that the av- Astronomers have observed for the first time a phe-
erage pack size of FMCG products in India shrank by nomenon, called, “cosmic cannibalism,” a dead star
nearly 15% year on year. (white dwarf) is sucking in debris from both the inner
Concept: Shrinkflation is the practice of reducing the and outer reaches of its planetary system.
size (or sometimes quality) of a product while the price White Dwarf: A white dwarf is formed when a low-mass
of the product remains the same or slightly increases. star like our sun exhausts most of its nuclear fuel. It is
usually very dense, dim and about the size of a planet.
It is the last observable stage of evolution for low- and
medium-mass stars.
WHO TO DECIDE ON MONKEY

Science and Technology POX
The World Health Organization will decide whether to
PSYCHE MISSION declare monkeypox a global health emergency
A “public health emergency of international concern”
Context: is WHO’s highest level of alert.
NASA delays Psyche mission (part of NASA’s Discovery
Monkeypox is a viral zoonosis (a virus transmitted to
Program) to asteroid because of late software delivery.
humans from animals) with symptoms similar to those
What is Psyche? seen in the past in smallpox patients, although it is clin-
Psyche is an asteroid between Mars and Jupiter. What ically less severe.
makes it unique is that it appears to be the exposed • Monkeypox does not spread nearly as easily as
nickel-iron core of an early planet, one of the building COVID and there are vaccines and treatments avail-
blocks of our solar system. able, unlike the coronavirus when it emerged. But it
has still raised alarm.
• The viral disease, which causes flu-like symptoms
and skin lesions, is endemic in parts of Africa.
BUFFALOPOX: at Bopal, Ahmedabad.
The recent spread of monkeypox to non-endemic coun- • The establishment of IN-SPACe was announced in
tries has trained the spotlight on reemerging viruses June 2020.
such as buffalopox, which was first isolated in India. • It is an autonomous and single window nodal agen-
• Since the first case in 1934 globally recorded in cy in the Department of Space.
India, the country has seen several sporadic out- • It was established for the promotion, encourage-
breaks. ment and regulation of space activities of both gov-
ernment and private entities.
About buffalopox:
• It also facilitates the usage of ISRO facilities by pri-
• It is a zoonotic disease endemic to India.
vate entities.
• It has its root in smallpox vaccines. Live virus used
to inoculate buffaloes to produce the smallpox vac-
cine in India evolved into buffalopox over time.
• It is caused by buffalopox virus (BPXV); it is a Poxvi- LaMDA
ridae for which the natural host is buffalo. Google’s LaMDA (or Language Model for Dialogue Ap-
• It is classified in the Orthopoxvirus (OPV) plications) (a language model created by google AI) has
• Symptoms: Lesions occur localized on the udder, achieved the an ability to engage in a free-flowing con-
teats, and inguinal region, over the parotid, and the versation. Google believes that LaMDA has become a
base and inner surface of the ear and eyes. sentient program meaning it has started reasoning like
a human being.
WHAT IS HIMARS?
United States will send M142 High Mobility Artillery NEURAL NETWORK
Rocket Systems, also known as HIMARS, to war-torn A neural network is an AI tech that attempts to mimic
Ukraine. the web of neurons in the brain to learn and behave like
• HIMARS are medium-range rocket systems. humans.
• HIMARS are a high-tech, lightweight rocket launch-
er that is wheel mounted, giving it more agility and
manoeuvrability on the battlefield.
Range:
QR CODE FOR DRUG PACKAGING

The Union health ministry has mandated compulsory
quick response (QR) code on the packaging of 300 life-
saving drugs. The plan will be implemented in phases
from May 2023.
INDIAN NATIONAL SPACE PRO-
MOTION AND AUTHORISATION
CENTRE (IN-SPACE):
Headquarters of the Indian National Space Promotion
and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) was inaugurated
CAPTIVE NETWORKS
Context:
Telecom service providers and private captive networks
are in contention for the upcoming 5G spectrum auc-
tion.
Captive networks are public networks that you sub-
scribe to or pay for. Captive networks are also called
“subscription” networks. You can find these networks in
coffee shops, Internet cafes, hotels, airports, and other
public locations
For a business unit: A captive unit is a business unit of a
company (subsidiary) functioning offshore as an entity
of its own while retaining the work and close operation-
al tie-ups within the parent company.
Talaq-e-Hasan enjoys legal validity in almost all Muslim BIS FORMULATES PERFORMANCE
countries. STANDARDS FOR EV BATTERIES
Context:
Bureau of Indian standards published Test Specifica-
tions for Lithium-ion (Li-ion) Traction Battery Packs
and Systems (Performance Testing) for Electric Vehicle.
• The standard IS 17855:2022 for these battery packs
and systems is harmonised with ISO 12405-4: 2018
• The standard incorporates the test procedure for
basic characteristics of performance, reliability and
electrical functionality for the battery packs and
system for either high power or high energy appli-
cation.
• Li-ion batteries are most preferred because of their
INDIA’S GSAT-24 SATELLITE high power-to-weight ratio, high energy efficiency,
low self-discharge etc.
LAUNCHED • DRDO probe: While investigating electric

two-wheeler fire incidents, it found serious defects
NewSpace India Limited (NSIL) launched GSAT-24 in its
in the batteries, mainly due to low-grade material
first “demand-driven” communication satellite mission
used by companies to cut costs.
post space sector reforms, leasing the entire capacity
on board to Direct-to-Home (DTH) service provider Tata BIS
Play. BIS is the National Standard Body of India (under the
• GSAT-24 is a 24-Ku band communication satellite BIS act 1986) for the harmonious development of the
weighing 4180 kg with pan-India coverage for meet- activities of standardization, marking and quality certi-
ing DTH application needs. fication of goods. It became a national standard body
• The GSAT (Geosynchronous satellites) are India’s of India under BIS Act 2016. It involves Certification,
indigenously developed communications satellites, Hallmarking (e.g., Gold jewellery), Eco Mark (e.g. en-
used for digital audio, data and video broadcasting. vironmentally friendly products), Compulsory registra-
• NSIL (incorporated in March 2019), is a Central Pub- tion (for electronic items) and Laboratory services
lic Sector Enterprise (CPSE), under the Department DST-IISc energy storage platform
of Space (DOS) and is the commercial arm of ISRO. Scientists at IISc have found nanoscopic refractory
It has the responsibility to build, launch, own & op- metal layers like Tungsten could improve the perfor-
erate satellites and provide services to its commit- mance of these batteries which are crucial for purposes
ted customer. like electrical mobility. This will enable fast charge-dis-
charge rates in solid-state lithium metal batteries.
Conventional Li-ion batteries employ a graphite anode,
a liquid electrolyte, and a transition metal cathode. INDIA’S FIRST MRNA VACCINE
However, the liquid electrolytes are flammable and de-
grade at high temperatures leading to poor battery life FOR COVID-19
and in extreme cases lead to battery fires. Replacing the Context:
liquid electrolyte with a ceramic solid electrolyte could The country’s first home-grown mRNA Covid-19 vaccine
enable safer Li-ion batteries that also last longer on a — GEMCOVAC-19 — developed at Pune’s Gennova Bio-
single charge. Fig: Conventional Li-Ion Battery working. pharmaceuticals has got a ‘restricted emergency use’
nod for the 18-and-above age group.
RADIO ACCESS NETWORK

Context:
C-DOT (centre for the development of telematics) will
develop end-to-end 5G RAN products in collaboration
NASA’S CAPSTONE MISSION with Galore Networks.
Context: It is an autonomous telecom R&D centre and a regis-
NASA launched CAPSTONE, a microwave oven-sized tered society under Societies registration Act 1860.
CubeSat weighing just 55 pounds (25 kg). CAPSTONE -
Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System Technology A radio access network (RAN) is a major component of
Operations and Navigation Experiment, is designed to a wireless telecommunications system that connects
test a unique, elliptical lunar orbit known as a near-rec- individual devices (such as cell phones, and comput-
tilinear halo orbit (NRHO) which is significantly elon- ers) to other parts of a network through a radio link.
gated, and is located at a precise balance point in the
gravities of Earth and the Moon. This offers stability for
long-term missions like Gateway.
• CAPS (Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System) is
CAPSTONE’s autonomous navigation software
• If tested successfully, the software will allow future
spacecraft to determine their location without
having to rely exclusively on Earth-based tracking.
MINIMUM EDUCATIONAL QUALI-
FICATION FOR CRPF CONSTABLES
RELAXED:
The government has relaxed the minimum qualifica-
tion for recruitment of constables in the Central Re-
serve Police Force (CRPF) from Bijapur, Dantewada,
and Sukma districts of Chhattisgarh to encourage tribal
youth to join the force.
• The minimum educational qualification for the post
is being relaxed from 10th Class pass to 8th Class
pass.
Need for:
The CRPF formed one Bastariya Battalion in Chhattis-
garh in 2016-2017 by recruiting Scheduled Tribe people
from four districts: Bijapur, Dantewada, Narayanpur,
and Sukma.
• However, the recruiting process did not produce
the best results because native youth from the in- HERMIT
terior were unable to compete due to a lack of the Hermit is new spyware with the capability to affect
required educational requirement of a 10th pass. both Android and iOS devices.
Spyware is malicious software that enters a user’s
computer, gathers data from the device and user, and
sends it to third parties without their consent.
PATENT FOR BACTERIAL CEMENT

MORTAR BRICK
Context:
Cement mortar brick with the inclusion of bacteria in
combination, claims to be superior to the conventional
bricks in terms of strength, the life of a structure and
possesses a ‘self-healing’ property.
Microbialcreat composite is a new-age material with
the property of self-healing upon cracking. This action
is by the precipitation of lime (calcium carbonate) by
the non-pathogenic bacteria used in the composite,
upon coming into contact with air and water through
the crack. The precipitated lime will cover the crack,
thereby improving the stability of the surface.
VL-SRSAM MISSILE SYSTEM in the sea level, and anthropogenic activities such
as the construction of harbours, beach mining and
building of dams are some of the reasons for coastal
Context:
erosion.
THE INDIGENOUSLY developed shipborne weapon sys-
• Increased levels of heavy toxic metals – lead, iron,
tem, Vertical Launch Short Range Surface to Air Missile
nickel, cadmium, arsenic, chromium and copper – in
(VL-SRSAM), was successfully flight tested by DRDO
rivers.
and the Indian Navy. It is designed to strike at the high-
• A climate hotspot: 45 to 64% of India’s forest cov-
speed airborne targets at the range of 40km to 50km
er is likely to become climate hotspots by 2030. By
and at an altitude of around 15km.
2050, almost the entire forest cover of the country
VL-SRSAM is a canisterised system, which means it
is likely to become a climate hotspot.
is stored and operated from specially designed com-
A climate hotspot refers to an area that is likely to face
partments. In the canister, the inside environment is
severe impacts of climate change.
controlled, thus making its transport and storage easier

and improving the shelf life of weapons.
WHAT IS WORLD ENVIRONMENT
DAY?
Celebrated annually on 5th June.
• The United Nations Assembly established World
Environment Day in 1972, which was the first day
of the Stockholm Conference on the human envi-
ronment.
• It is a global platform for public outreach, with par-
ticipation from over 143 countries annually.
• Theme for 2022: Only One Earth, focusing on “Liv-
ing Sustainably in Harmony with Nature”.

Environment
STATE OF ENVIRONMENT REPORT

2022: RIVERS FACING HEAVY
POLLUTION:
The report was recently released by the Center for Sci-
ence and Environment (CSE).
• The report is an annual compendium of environ-
ment-development data and is derived from public
sources. LIFESTYLE FOR THE ENVIRON-
MENT (LIFE) MOVEMENT:
Key findings: Launched by India on the occasion of World Environ-
• Rise in water spread: Twenty-five glacial lakes and ment Day (5th June).
water bodies in India, China and Nepal have record- • The idea of LiFE was introduced by the Prime Min-
ed over 40% rise in their water spread areas since ister Modi during the 26th United Nations Cli-
2009, posing a grave threat to five Indian states and mate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) in
two Union territories. Glasgow in 2021.
• Coastline erosion: Over a third of India’s coastline • The idea promotes an environment-conscious life-
witnessed some degree of erosion between 1990 style that focuses on ‘mindful and deliberate utilisa-
and 2018. West Bengal is the worst hit with over tion’ instead of ‘mindless and destructive consump-
60% of its shoreline under erosion. tion’.
• An increase in the frequency of cyclones and rise • The Movement aims to utilise the power of collec-
tive action and nudge individuals across the world KALI TIGER RESERVE
to undertake simple climate-friendly actions in their Karnataka’s 1st wild Orchidarium to come up at Kali Ti-
daily lives. ger Reserve. Orchidarium: A vivarium, specifically for
‘Pro-Planet People’ (P3): the cultivation of orchids. An area in a park or botanical
• The Mission plans to create and nurture a global garden dedicated to orchids.
network of individuals, namely ‘Pro-Planet People’
(P3).
• P3 will have a shared commitment to adopt and
promote environmentally friendly lifestyles.
PUNEET SAGAR ABHIYAN:

National Cadet Corps (NCC) has launched the latest
phase of its nationwide flagship campaign ‘Puneet
Sagar Abhiyan’.
• Objective: To clean Sea Shores/Beaches and other
water bodies including rivers & lakes, of plastic &
other waste and increase awareness amongst the
local population about the importance of keeping
the beaches and river fronts clean.
GREEN MINING
Coal India Ltd (CIL) is exploring green mining options to
lessen any adverse environmental impact by leverag-
ing a slew of ecofriendly technologies in both under-
ATAPAKA BIRD SANCTUARY ground and open cast mining. Some of these technol-
• It is located in Kolleru lake on Krishna-West Goda- ogies include mining from tailings, dust suppression
vari borders in Andhra Pradesh, techniques, liquid membrane emulsion technology, sul-
• It was established in November 1999, under the phuric acid leaching extraction process, impermeable
Wildlife Protection Act of 1972. tailings storage
• The sanctuary protects part of the Kolleru Lake wet-
land, which gained Ramsar Convention for Interna-
tional importance in 2002.
Vehicles Will Get ‘Star Rating’ Based On Crash AIR QUALITY
Test National Air quality Resource Framework of India (NAR-
FI): It will help decision-makers in the government and
BHARAT NEW CAR ASSESSMENT private sectors to address air pollution issues in differ-
PROGRAMME (BHARAT NCAP): ent climatic zones of India.
It will serve as a consumer-centric platform, allowing Developed by: National Institute of Advanced Studies
customers to opt for safer cars based on their Star Rat- (NIAS), Bengaluru with support from the Office of Prin-
ings while promoting healthy competition among origi- cipal Scientific Adviser.
nal equipment manufacturers (OEMs) in India to manu- Commission for Air quality management (CAQM): It is
facture safer vehicles. a statutory body established for Air Quality Manage-
It will not only ensure structural and passenger safety ment in NCR and Adjoining Areas in 2020
in cars but also increase the export-worthiness of Indi-
an automobiles.
The testing protocol of Bharat NCAP shall be aligned
with global crash-test protocols.
Ministry of Shipping, Road Transport & Highways
(MoSRT&H) is the nodal ministry for regulation of the
automotive sector in India.
RED LIST OF BIRDS IN KERELA

Kerala will soon have its own red list of birds. The Ker-
ala Bird Monitoring Collective led by Kerala Agricultur-
al University and the Bird Count India will conduct the
regional red list assessment. Once it gets ready, Kerala
will be the first State to have a region-specific red list
of birds.
• Issues with the IUCN List: There are limitations to
the global assessment as it is a process prepared
in a global context. A species seen common at the
ENVIRONMENTAL DNA: global level may be a threatened species at the re-
Context:
gional level.
DNA of more than 1200 species of invertebrates was
• According to the global IUCN red list, Kerala has 64
found on a sample of tea and dried herbs.
threatened species of birds. In that, the Red-head-
Environmental DNA (eDNA) is organismal DNA that
ed vulture and White-rumped vulture are critically
can be found in the environment. Environmental DNA
endangered. Steppe Eagle, Banasura Chilappan and
originates from cellular material shed by organisms (via
Nilgiri Chilappan are endangered and 11 species are
skin, excrement, etc.) into aquatic or terrestrial environ-
vulnerable.
ments that can be sampled and monitored using new
• The International Union for Conservation of Nature
molecular methods.
Red List of Threatened Species, founded in 1964, is
the world’s most comprehensive inventory of the
global conservation status of biological species.
The IUCN guidelines for preparing the red list have five
main criteria.
• The population size reduction measured over 10
years or three generations
• Geographic range on the basis of the extent of oc-
currence or area of occupancy
• Small population size and decline
• Very small or restricted population
Probability of extinction in the wild The non-binding ‘Living Lands Charter’ mandates that
. member countries will safeguard global land resources
and arrest land degradation while acting against climate
change, biodiversity loss and sustainable management.
The charter recognizes the “critical guardianship” pro-
vided by indigenous peoples and local communities in
protecting land and vital ecosystem services.
MICROPLASTICS HELP VIRUSES

SURVIVE LONGER IN WATER, RE-
MAIN INFECTIOUS: STUDY
Context:
A layer of microbial cells or biofilm forms on the sur-
face of microplastics soon after they are released into
freshwater, this nutrient-rich coating becomes a hos-
pitable surface for microorganisms that hop onto the
floating microplastics.
Viruses on microplastics remained alive in water for
three days or more, Viruses associated with biofilm-col-
ECO-SENSITIVE ZONES onized pellets were more stable compared to those re-
maining in the water
Context:
Farmers in Kerala are protesting against the recent SC
order to establish 1-km Eco-Sensitive Zones around all
protected areas, wildlife sanctuaries and national parks.
As per the National Wildlife Action Plan (2002-2016):
Land within 10 km of the boundaries of national parks
and wildlife sanctuaries is to be notified as eco-frag-
ile zones or Eco-Sensitive Zones (ESZ). Sometimes this
10km boundary can be increased or decreased.
Importance: ESZs are created as “shock absorbers” as
well as the transition zone, for the protected areas, to
minimize the negative impact on the “fragile ecosys-
tems” by certain human activities taking place nearby
Committee for ESZ: Gadgil Committee and Kasturiran-
gan Committee ETALIN HYDEL:
EU law to Restore Nature Wildlife scientists and conservationists in Arunachal
The European Commission’s proposal for a Nature Res- Pradesh have flagged threats to local biodiversity from
toration Law is the first continent-wide, comprehensive the proposed Etalin hydroelectric project.
law and part of the Biodiversity Strategy, which calls • The dam is located in Arunachal Pradesh’s Dibang
for binding targets to restore degraded ecosystems. It Valley.
includes reducing chemical pesticide use by 50% (by • It is proposed to be developed as a combination of
2030), increasing tree canopy (by at least 10%) and al- two run-of-the-river schemes and involves the con-
lowing free-flow of rivers. struction of concrete gravity dams on the Tangon
Living Lands Charter and Dri rivers.
Adopted by: Commonwealth • The project area falls under the “richest bio-geo-
All 54 Commonwealth members have agreed to volun- graphical province of the Himalayan zone” and
tarily dedicate a ‘living land’ in their respective coun- “one of the mega biodiversity hotspots of the
tries to future generations, in line with the strategy set world”.
for the United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Resto-
ration.
Species in News
FOUR NEW CORALS WERE RE-

CORDED FROM INDIAN WATERS
Context:
Four species of azooxanthellate corals were recorded
for the first time from the waters of the Andaman and
Nicobar Islands.
• All four groups of corals are from the same family
Flabellidae.
• Azooxanthellate corals are a group of corals that do
not contain zooxanthellae and derive nourishment
not from the sun but from capturing different
WORLD OCEANS DAY 2022: forms of plankton.
• These groups of corals are deep-sea representa-
• World Oceans Day is celebrated on June 8 every
tives, with the majority of species reporting from
year.
between 200 m to 1000 m. Their occurrences are
• Theme for 2022: “Revitalization: collective action
also reported from shallow coastal waters.
for the ocean”.
• The concept of World Oceans Day was first pro-
posed by the UN in 1992 at the Earth Summit in
Rio de Janeiro.

IMPORTANCE OF OCEANS:
• Oceans cover 71% of the Earth’s surface and hold
97% of the planet’s water.
• They help feed the world and provide most of the
oxygen.
• A variety of life-saving medicinal compounds, in-
cluding anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer drugs
have been discovered in the oceans.
• The ocean is vital to the world’s economy, with
more than 90% of trade using sea routes and as a
source of jobs for millions of people.

THREATS TO OCEANS:
• Pollution, overfishing, invasive species, and rising RIBBON WEED:
ocean acidity due to the extensive use of fossil fuels. • Scientific Name: Posidonia australis.
• Plastic waste is also one of the biggest threats faced • It is the world’s largest plant. It is a seagrass 180 km
by the oceans today. in length.
• It has recently been discovered off the West Coast
of Australia in Shark Bay.
• The plant is 4,500 years old and has double the
number of chromosomes than other similar plants.
• It can usually grow to around 35cm per year.
• It covers an area of 20,000 hectares.
» The next on the podium, the second largest
plant, is the clonal colony of a quaking Aspen
tree in Utah, which covers 43.6 hectares.
» The largest tree in India, the Great Banyan in
Howrah’s Botanical Garden, covers 1.41 hect- sediments.
ares. • The dinosaur belonged to a group known as Theriz-
inosaurs – bipedal and primarily herbivorous three-
toed dinosaurs.
• The most remarkable aspect of this species is that it
had sword-like claws.

CHELONOIDIS PHANTASTICUS:
• Chelonoidis phantasticus is a giant tortoise species
believed to be extinct for more than a century.
• Now, a surviving member has been found in Fer-
nandina Island (Galápagos Islands, Ecuador).
• Commonly called the Fernandina Island Galápagos
giant tortoise, the species was so far known only
from a single individual, collected in 1906.

RARE DRAGONFLY SPOTTED IN

PARALITHERIZINOSAURUS JA-
KERALA FOR THE FIRST TIME
PONICUS: • Spiny Horntail (Burmagomphus chaukulensis ) dis-
• It is a bipedal dinosaur. covered in the Kottiyoor forests of Kannur
• A new study has revealed that it roamed around the • The species that is known to be endemic to the
shores of Asia between 66 million and 145 million Western Ghats was discovered in Maharashtra ear-
years ago (Cretaceous period). lier this year.
• It was identified from the fossilised remains un- • The new species can be separated from its conge-
earthed on Hokkaido, the northern island of Japan. ners by the markings on the lateral thorax and pe-
The fossil is the first to be found in Asia in marine culiar shape of anal appendages
Benefits:
• As Food: When green, they can be consumed raw,
mixed with salads, or can be cooked along with oth-
er vegetables. When dried, the seeds are used as a
dry fruit after the removal of the wings.
• Therapeutic properties: the winged seeds can be
crushed and applied in the form of a poultice on in-
juries. A paste of the seeds is an effective treatment
for ringworm. Leaves and barks of the tree too have
therapeutic properties.
• Oil: Seeds are also rich in oil — dry chilbilseeds have
50 percent oil content.
• Grows in diverse climates: it can grow on sandy soil
NEW SPECIES OF BAM- and loam to gravelly subsoil— it has a huge poten-
tial to be promoted as an agroforestry plant.
BOO-DWELLING BAT FOUND IN
MEGHALAYA
Context:
Scientists have discovered a new species of bam-
boo-dwelling bat in Ri Bhoi district of Meghalaya. The
species, found near the forested patch of Nongkhyllem
Wildlife Sanctuary, has been named Glischropus me-
ghalayanus.
The present discovery is the first report of a thick-
thumbed bat not only from India but also from South
Asia.
LARGEST BACTERIUM EVER

FOUND
Context:
The bacteria was discovered in the mangroves of the
Guadeloupe archipelago in the Caribbean
Named Thiomargarita Magnifica, they live by oxi-
dizing sulfur and are 50 times bigger than any other
known bacteria
“What is very unique about the T. Magnifica is that the
entire filament, which is among the longest filaments in
the mangrove, is just one cell,”
Central to the bacterium is its vacuole — an inert, flu-
id-filled membrane. Around the edge of this are mem-
brane-bound structures, which the authors call “pe-
pins” and describe as being similar to the organelles
found mostly in eukaryotic cells. The “pepins” collec-
CHILBIL tively host up to 700,000 copies of the genome.
The tree, also known as jungle cork tree or Holoptelea
integrifolia, is native to India and is referred to as chil-
bil, papri, kanju , and several other names in local lan-
guages.
PAINTED LEOPARD GECKO: 0.7% OF NATION’S POPULATION
Scientific name: Eublepharis pictus.
• Found in Visakhapatnam in 2017.
WAS ‘TEMPORARY VISITOR’: MI-
• Initially, it was thought to belong to a known spe- GRATION IN INDIA 2020-21
cies.
• It has now been identified as a member of a new
REPORT
species. Context:
• The new species appears to be common in the for- As per the Migration in India Report 2020-21 (released
ests of Andhra Pradesh and Odisha. by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implemen-
tation (MoSPI), 0.7 per cent of the country’s population
was a ‘temporary visitor’ in households during July
2020-June 2021.

Who are ‘temporary visitors’?
‘Temporary visitors’ are categorized as those who ar-
rived after March 2020 and stayed in the household
continuously for a period of 15 days or more but less
than 6 months. 84% of these visitors moved places for
reasons linked to the pandemic.

Migration:
• Definition: As per International Organization for
Miscellaneous Migration (The UN Migration Agency) defines a mi-

grant as any person who is moving or has moved
across an international border or within a state
away from his/her habitual place of residence.
NIXTAMALISATION • It can be either voluntary or forced movements as
A method by which the ancient peoples of Mesoameri-
a consequence of the increased magnitude or fre-
ca like the Maya used to soak and cook their maize in an
quency of disasters, economic challenges and ex-
alkaline solution and make it more palatable, nutritious,
treme poverty or conflict situations.
and non-toxic. Nixtamal is derived from the Nahuatl
• International Migrants Day is celebrated annually
word nextamalli, meaning ‘nixtamalized maize dough’.
by the UN on 18th December to raise awareness TITLE IX
about the challenges and difficulties of internation-
Context:
al migration.
Title IX, the law best known for its role in gender equity
• The theme for the International Migrants Day 2021
in athletics and preventing sexual harassment on cam-
was ‘Harnessing the potential of Human Mobility’.
puses, is turning 50.
• 11 out of the 17 SDGs contain targets and indicators
relevant to migration or mobility. What does the law say?
The law forbids discrimination based on sex in educa-
tion, and despite its age remains a vital piece in the on-
GLOBAL ESTIMATES: NUMBER OF going push for equality, including in the LGBTQ commu-
CRISIS-AFFECTED CHILDREN AND nity.
ADOLESCENTS IN NEED OF
6TH SCHEDULE
EDUCATION SUPPORT The Sixth Schedule under Article 244 provides for the
formation of autonomous administrative divisions —
The United Nations global fund for education in emer- Autonomous District Councils (ADCs) — that have some
gencies and protracted crises, Education Cannot Wait legislative, judicial, and administrative autonomy with-
(ECW), released a shocking new report that indicates in a state. It provides for the administration of tribal ar-
the number of crisis-impacted school-aged children eas in Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram to safe-
requiring educational support has grown from an esti- guard the rights of the tribal population in these states.
mated 75 million in 2016 to 222 million currently.
To respond to this pressing global education crisis,
ECW and strategic partners launched the #222Million-
Dreams resource mobilization campaign. The campaign
calls on donors, the private sector, philanthropic foun-
dations and high-net-worth individuals to urgently mo-
bilize more resources for the education of children.
GLOBAL LIVEABILITY INDEX

Context:
According to Global Liveability Index released by The
Economist annually, the cities in India have fared poor-
ly in the list of the world’s most liveable cities.
New Delhi has been ranked 112th, while Mumbai is
ranked at 117th position.
Austrian capital Vienna has once again topped the list THE JUDICIAL VALIDITY OF THE
of most liveable cities in the world in the list of 140 cit-
ies. TALAQ-E-HASAN MODE OF DI-
The Pakistani city of Karachi and Bangladesh’s capital VORCE
Dhaka are among the least liveable cities in the world. Context:
Public interest litigation (PIL) seeking to invalidate Ta-
laq-e-Hasan, the prescribed Islamic way of a divorce,
has been filed in the Supreme Court.
PIL seeks to make the prescribed Islamic way of divorce

Talaq-e-Hasan unconstitutional as it is violative of Arti-
cles 14, 15, 21 and 25 of the Constitution.
Talaq-e-Ahsan:
• Under this form, a single revocable divorce is made
(unlike multiple pronouncements under triple ta-
laq)
• Following the pronouncement, a woman has to go FCRA VALIDITY OF NGOS
through iddat or a waiting period of three months. The Ministry of Home Affairs extended the validity of
• During this period the divorce can be cancelled. the FCRA registration of NGOs whose renewal applica-
However, failure to annul divorce during this peri- tion is pending with the government till September 30.
od results in it being finalized after which a woman FCRA registration is mandatory for any NGO or associ-
is independent and free to marry another man or ation to receive foreign funds or donations under the
stay single, as she may choose. amended Foreign Contribution Regulation (Amend-
Talaq-e-Hasan enjoys legal validity in almost all Muslim ment) Act and Rules 2020.
countries. Validity: The registration is initially valid for five years
after which it needs to be renewed.
Only five purposes allowed for receiving foreign con-
tributions: social, educational, religious, economic, and
cultural.
SALT SECTOR
Context:
Farmers and workers engaged in Salt Industry are fac-
ing a crisis as they lack minimum wage and social secu-
rity.
Status of Salt sector in India:
• Central control: Salt is under the Union List of the
7th schedule
• India is the world’s third-largest producer of salt,
after US and China.
• Salt is mainly produced through a solar-evapora-
tion process of seawater.
• Nodal Agency: Salt Commissioner’s Organisation
(an attached Office under the Ministry of Com-
merce & Industry)
• Occupational Health hazards related to salt: Chron-
ic dermatitis (skin ulcers), vision loss
• States: Gujarat accounts for almost 80% of the coun-
try’s production, followed by Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan
(through mining), Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra,
Odisha and Himachal Pradesh (through mining).
FIRST COUNTRY IN ASIA TO DE-
CRIMINALISE CANNABIS:
Thailand has become the first country in Asia to de-
criminalize Marijuana which is also known as Cannabis.
• It has decriminalized Marijuana with the aim of
boosting its agriculture and tourism sectors.
• Under decriminalization, it is no longer a crime in
Thailand to grow and trade marijuana and hemp
products, or use parts of the plant to treat illnesses.
In 2018, Canada became the first G20 country to legal-
ize the recreational use of cannabis. Uruguay legalized
the recreational use of marijuana for all adults above
the age of 18 in 2013.

PROTECT FREE SPEECH, ‘ONLINE

AND OFFLINE’
Context:
India has signed the ‘2022 Resilient Democracies State-
ment (RDS)’ along with G7 countries
The statement calls for:
• Guarding the freedom, independence and diversi-
ty of civil society actors and protecting the freedom
of expression and opinion online and offline
• India will work towards equitable, inclusive and
sustainable solutions to global challenges and reaf-
firm the rules-based International order.
• It is in line with the 2021 Carbin Bay open societies
statement.
21ST AMENDMENT
Sri Lankan passed the 21st Amendment to the Consti-
tution aimed at empowering Parliament over the ex-
ecutive president. It is expected to reduce the unfet-
tered powers of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and will
strengthen Parliament.
IMD’S WORLD COMPETITIVENESS HYPOGONADISM:
It is a condition caused by the deficiency of the male
INDEX sex hormone, testosterone.
India has witnessed the sharpest rise among the Asian
• It can cause sexual dysfunction, weakening of bones
economies, with a jump from 43rd to 37th rank on the
and muscles, and reduced quality of life.
annual World Competitiveness Index compiled by the
• Risk factors include ageing (as testosterone levels
Institute for Management Development (IMD), largely
decline with age), obesity and diabetes.
due to gains in economic performance. Top: Denmark
• Testosterone replacement therapy is the standard
DYNAMIC WORLD treatment for hypogonadism.
It is a new service from Google to track how the planet
changes in response to various natural and human ac-
tivities like floods, fires, deforestation, etc.
OPERATION SANKALP
The operation is the Indian Navy’s effort to maintain a
frontline ship in the region to ensure the safe and se-
cure movement of trade.
It was started in 2019 after attacks on merchant ships in
the Gulf of Oman, to ensure safe passage of Indian Flag
Vesselstransiting through the Strait of Hormuz.
This year it entered its 3rd year of operation.
RAMSAY HUNT SYNDROME:
Ramsay Hunt Syndrome – a viral disease has temporar-
ily paralysed one side of Pop sensation Justin Bieber’s
face.
• Ramsay Hunt Syndrome is neurological disease in
which a virus – Varicella Zoster – causes inflamma-
tion of the nerves involved in facial movements.
• The Varicella Zoster Virus (VZV) is the same virus
that causes chickenpox and shingles.
• When the nerves get inflamed, they lose their abil-
ity to function, leading to temporary facial palsy or
paralysis.
• The symptoms include painful, red rash and blisters WORLD BICYCLE DAY:
in and around the ear, and facial paralysis on the • World Bicycle Day is observed on the 3rd of June
same side. every year.
• It is treated using anti-viral drugs, steroids and phys- • The day is marked to spread awareness about the
iotherapy. benefits of using a bicycle. As per the United Na-
tions, the day highlights the uniqueness, longevity
and versatility of the bicycle.
• The day has been observed since 2018 after a reso-
lution was passed by the United Nations, during its
72nd Regular Session of the United Nations Gener-
al Assembly.
MARTIN ENNALS AWARD:

• It is awarded
• Given by the Martin Ennals Foundation, based in
Geneva, Switzerland. REGIONAL ENGLISH LANGUAGE
• It is regarded as the Nobel Prize for human rights OFFICE (RELO):
defenders. Recently, a workshop was organised for English teach-
This year it was awarded posthumously to pay homage ers under the supervision of the Regional English Lan-
to Father Stan Swamy, a Jesuit priest and tribal rights guage Office (RELO), Washington DC.
activist from Jharkhand who had been arrested in the RELO is a wing of the US Embassy in India that was
Bhima Koregaon case. established in 2005 as a part of its Public Diplomacy
Section.
Who was Martin Ennals? • Aim: To strengthen India-US ties by supporting En-
• Ennals was a British activist who spent his life work- glish learning.
ing to secure human rights across the world. • Headquartered at the US Embassy office in New
• He was Secretary-General of Amnesty Internation- Delhi.
al from 1968 to 1980. • RELO’s mission is to “support the effective teaching
• Ennals also co-founded several organisations, such and learning of English in Afghanistan, Bhutan and
as Article 19, International Alert and Huridocs and India, while enhancing mutual understanding be-
formed “the binding force between them”. tween the US and these countries”.
• RELO collaborates with state government and ed- FEMALE, MALE AND ‘OPEN’
ucational institutions to support them in teacher
training, curriculum development and other English CATEGORY
language training projects. Swimming’s international governing body FINA barred
participation of transgenders in the women’s catego-
ry – the exception being that the transgender athlete
JUNETEENTH must have completed their transition before the age of
Context: 12. Athletics and FIFA may also follow swimming cues.
Juneteenth completes a year as the first new federal It will have a new ‘open’ category to allow everybody
holiday created in almost four decades. equal opportunity to compete at an elite level.
Juneteenth– the portmanteau of June and nineteenth–
is the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of
the ending of slavery in the US representing freedom
for African Americans, observed on June 19 every year.
It is also known as Emancipation Day or Juneteenth In-
dependence Day.
CHESS OLYMPIAD GAMES

Context:
For the first time, this year, India is also going to host
the Chess Olympiad games. The event was originally
scheduled in Russia
History of Chess: India is considered the birthplace of
chess. Its origin can be traced back nearly 1500 years to
its earliest known predecessor, called chaturanga, in In- INDIA RANKS FOURTH IN GLOBAL
dia. From India, it spread to Persia. The game evolved
roughly into its current form by about 1500 CE.
GOLD RECYCLING
Context:
As per World Gold Council (WGC), India has emerged as
the fourth largest recycler in the world and the country
has recycled 75 tonnes in 2021.
• Top: China (168 tonnes)
• India’s gold refining capacity increased by 1,500
tonnes (500%) in 2021
• Number of formal recycling businesses has in-
creased from less than five in 2013 to 33 in 2021.
• The scale of unorganised refining has fallen, large-
ly due to the government’s tightening of pollution
regulations.
• India has the potential to emerge as a competi-
tive refining hub if the next phase of bullion market
reforms promote responsible sourcing, exports of
bars and consistent supply of dore or scrap.
• Despite being the fourth largest recycler in the
world, India recycles little of its own stock of gold
— about 8% of the global scrap supply.
NH53:
State-owned NHAI has created a Guinness World Re-
cord for the longest continuously laid bituminous lane
of 75 kilometres in 105 hours and 33 minutes on the
national highway between Amravati and Akola dis-
tricts in Maharashtra.
• This is an important corridor which connects major
cities like Kolkata, Raipur, Nagpur and Surat.
TURBAN DAY ACT:

Manitoba in Canada has enacted the Turban Day Act.
• As per this act, April 13 every year will now be cel-
FORENSIC PROBE TO BE MADE ebrated as Turban Day across the province.
MUST FOR OFFENCES ATTRACT- • Manitoba felt it was necessary to have a day that
officially recognises the turban as a part of Canada’s
ING 6 YEARS OR MORE diversity and multiculturalism.
Context: Why was April 13 chosen?
The government is planning to make forensic investiga- The day of Baisakhi or Vaisakhi, which usually falls on
tion compulsory in all cases where the offence attracts April 13 or 14 each year, commemorates the birth of
a punishment of six years or more. Khalsa Panth. It was on this day in 1699 that the tenth
Guru Gobind Singh had laid the foundation of Khalsa
Forensic Investigation: It is the act of utilizing science Panth at Anandpur Sahib among his followers. Baisakhi
to establish facts or evidence which is to be used for is observed as a major festival to celebrate the birth of
crime-based trials or proceedings. the Khalsa Panth.
What is needed
The home ministry has called for the establishment
of an independent Directorate of Prosecution and an “BHARAT GAURAV” EXPRESS
independent Directorate of Forensic Science in each TRAIN
State/UT through proposed comprehensive amend- Context:
ments to the Indian Penal Code, Criminal Procedure The first train to be operated between Coimbatore and
Code and the Indian Evidence Act. Shirdi by a private operator, under the ‘Bharat Gaurav’
scheme of the Indian Railways
Objective:
• To showcase India’s cultural heritage and magnifi-
cent historical places to people of the country and
world through these trains.
qHPV
• Opportunity for entrepreneurs. Govt Panel has approved Serum Institute’s indigenously
developed quadrivalent human papillomavirus (qHPV)
vaccine for cervical cancer patients above 9 years to 26
years of age. Human papillomavirus (HPV) is the most
common sexually transmitted infection (STI). Cervical
cancer in India ranks as the second most frequent can-
cer among women between 15 and 44 years of age.
MITTICOOL REFRIGERATOR
• Mitticool is a clay-based natural refrigerator to
store fruits, vegetables, and milk, and cooling water.
Stored foodstuffs can be kept cool naturally without
using electricity.
• “Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS)” recently devel-
oped an Indian Standard for “non-electric cooling
cabinet made of clay or “Mitticool refrigerator”. The
developed standard is “IS 17693: 2022”.
WORLD MILK DAY:

June 1 is observed as World Milk Day every year.
• The theme of World Milk Day 2022 is to bring at-
tention to the climate change crisis and how the
dairy sector can reduce its impact on the planet.
• The aim is to achieve ‘Dairy Net Zero’ by reducing
greenhouse gas emissions over the next 30 years
and improving waste management in order to make
the dairy sector sustainable.
• It was established by the Food and Agriculture Or-
ganization (FAO) of the United Nations in 2001 to
recognize the importance of milk as a global food.
• India is the world’s largest milk producer, with 22%
of global production, followed by the United States
of America.
The top 5 milk-producing states are: Uttar Pradesh, Ra-
jasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh.
Our founder & director, Vinay Sir, with 120 toppers of UPSC CSE-2021
at the Felicitation Ceremony conducted at Bengaluru.
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